Chapter 137: The Unleashed Blade! Your Life Is Mine to Command!
It seemed that in such rocky terrain, prolonged rainfall was rare, yet this gloomy, drizzling weather had persisted for nearly half a month.
In the northern region of the Land of Earth, near the border with the Land of Rain, a dozen makeshift tents were hidden at the end of a mountain hollow. A water source lay nearby, making this an ideal temporary base.
“Captain Tsuchi, still no contact from the village?”
Inside the central tent, a weary Iwa ninja’s face showed growing anxiety. They had been stationed here for months to gather intelligence on the Land of Rain, yet for three months they had received no new orders. The ninja they had sent back to the village had disappeared without a trace, as if swallowed by the earth.
Ninja operate on a single rule: obey orders. Without new directives, even if they worried about what was happening back home, they had no authority to return. If they did return and something happened in the Rain’s territory, they would bear full responsibility.
But lately, unsettling news from the Land of Earth kept reaching their ears—explosions in Iwagakure, countless villagers dead or wounded, and Konoha’s ANBU delivering a devastating blow to the village. Rumors like these dragged their spirits deeper and deeper into despair.
They risked their lives on missions for one reason: to protect the loved ones waiting for them in the village. But now, with the home front in turmoil, the gloom pressing on their hearts only grew heavier.
“Just wait a little longer. Rock Sparrow left three days ago. If everything went smoothly, we should hear back today.”
Captain Tsuchi shook his head. He wasn’t confident saying it, not really. Before the Rock Sparrow messenger squad, they had already sent five separate teams back to the village, and not a single one had returned. Even though Rock Sparrow was a jōnin like Tsuchi, he still couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
But as captain, it was his job to steady the team.
All they could do was hold their position and wait for news.
Hm?
Suddenly, Tsuchi lifted his head. A surge of danger washed over him so intensely that his skin crawled. Years of experience made him react instantly.
“Enemy attack!”
The words had barely left his mouth when the central tent split cleanly in two.
Swoosh!
Hot blood splashed across his face, making Tsuchi’s entire body tremble. The companion who had just been speaking with him had been bisected along with the tent.
“2991!”
A cold, deathly voice slid into his ears. The next moment, the figure carrying a blade stepped into view.
“2992!”
Another comrade fell, and Tsuchi even caught the pleading look in the dying ninja’s eyes.
“2993!”
“2994!”
Blades flashed again and again.
Each strike felt like it was slicing straight into Tsuchi’s heart. His body shook uncontrollably, his nerves burning with terror as his comrades’ blood stained the ground.
At last, unable to endure the suffocating pressure any longer, he dropped his weapon and bolted backward.
Three months of strain exploded all at once as he watched his comrades die one after another.
A demon.
That thing was a demon.
How could humans ever fight a demon?
Fear consumed him. Forgetting he was a ninja, he scrambled away on all fours like a terrified animal.
“2995!”
The slaughter continued.
But the boy’s movements suddenly slowed, and the confusion on his face grew deeper.
“Chakra… an energy produced by the perfect fusion of the body’s various components. It is the source used to perform ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu.”
“Its origin comes from extracting physical energy from each of the body’s 130 trillion cells, combined with the spiritual energy cultivated and accumulated through training.”
“Spiritual pressure—Reiatsu—is the density of one’s soul. The denser it is, the stronger the power. It is the source of a Shinigami’s strength.”
“When the pressure released by the soul is strong enough, it can even immobilize an opponent.”
Murmured whispers slipped from his lips as yet another enemy collapsed before him.
2996!
“Physical strength… the body’s natural constitution.
“The foundational power built up over years of training, differing according to one’s physique and bloodline.”
“Body, spirit, and soul.”
2997!
“Three distinct energies, yet all refined and drawn from within oneself—whether actively or passively.”
2998!
“These three energies share a single root. If one tries to fuse them based on the self, the result is far beyond a simple 1 + 1 + 1.”
2999!
“A new power… formed from chakra, spiritual pressure, and the body’s innate physical might.”
His dazed eyes gradually cleared.
A cool sensation washed down from the top of Hakken’s head to the soles of his feet.
His massive Zanpakutō began radiating three strange lights that intertwined. The brilliance shimmering across the boy’s body was overwhelming.
In the distance, Nightingale Squad instantly felt the pressure surge.
Ken-san had grown stronger!
Farther back, Itachi froze.
This pressure was not just that suffocating spiritual force that pinned the soul. This time, his body was changing as well.
“This is…”
Beside him, Tsunade covered her mouth in shock.
Unlike Itachi, she could see the overwhelming vitality bursting from his body.
Such powerful life force—she had only ever felt it once before, from her grandfather Hashirama Senju.
Did he truly possess the Senju bloodline? How was that possible?
Body, spirit, and soul.
At this moment, the energies of all three converged completely. The sensation of freely controlling every inch of himself made Hakken slowly close his eyes.
The power of Zaraki Kenpachi. The power of White.
Chakra and spirit.
This is my body.
His body trembled slightly. The excitement and terrifying battle intent rising from within drove Hakken to raise his Zanpakutō and slash his own arm.
What is Ken-san doing?
The Night Owls behind him stared in shock, too late to stop him.
“Ken-san is completing his metamorphosis.”
Itachi shook his head, watching Hakken’s back with a hint of sorrow.
He had seen this once before—on Minato-sensei’s rooftop.
That transformation had silenced the Nine-Tails with a single look from Ken-san.
Once again, he had moved farther ahead.
Ken-san… when will I ever be able to stand before you and bear some burdens in your place?
He just kept getting stronger.
Blood streamed down Hakken’s arm and along the blade.
But not even a second passed before the wound began to close.
Zaraki Kenpachi’s power was not only his terrifying swordsmanship, but this unmatched, monstrous regeneration.
Yet what shocked them even more than his near-immortal recovery…
Was the Zanpakutō itself.
The moment it touched Hakken’s blood, it began to transform at an astonishing pace.
It was still the same blade.
But the changes were unbelievable.
No longer slung over his shoulder, the hilt now deep black, carved with eerie patterns. Its slender yet broad form made the entire blade look impossibly fluid.
Only the red chain at the end of the scar glowed now and then with a dark crimson flash.
In this moment, his blade was liberated.
His eyes remained closed, yet everything around him entered his mind with perfect clarity.
He raised the Zanpakutō high, then drove it into the ground.
BOOM!
The oppressive atmosphere exploded outward.
The choking pressure around their throats made the Night Owl Team’s expressions twist in shock.
An invisible barrier had fully expanded.
It was the power of a Domain.
“This moment, your life is in my hands.”
“God’s Tears!”
Clang!
Darkness fell.
Hakken vanished.
A moment later, the fleeing Iwa ninja Tsuchi froze mid-step.
Psssh.
Blood burst from his body.
Even in death, he never saw the man’s technique.
3000.
Three thousand kills.
His blade—
Finally liberated.